Tuesday, July 2
INCREASED federal social and affordable housing funding could address rising housing shortage in the Mallee.
Mallee accommodation and support program acting chief executive Charmaine Calis said she hoped the doubled National Housing and Homelessness agreement, which included an additional $400 million per year federally, will result in funding opportunities to enable the organisation to build more social and affordable housing.
PILL testing is trialled across Victoria from summer before the state government permanently implements what it calls an important health service.
The move was being viewed by a local drug and alcohol counsellor as a “lifesaving service”.
Tuesday, July 5
AGED-care provider Uniting Age Well has opened the doors to its new office in Swan Hill.
More than 50 people attended the opening ceremony in the new office building on the corner of Campbell and McCallum streets.
Uniting Age Well program coordinator Alison Caldwell said the move from the previous Rutheford Street office aimed to meet the rising demand for aged-care services in the community.
PIG industry representatives say the threats activists pose to farmers and their families should have been better addressed by a parliamentary inquiry into pig welfare.
The State Parliament Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee report was tabled with recommendations for research into alternatives to the use of carbon dioxide stunning during slaughter, and enforced bans of sow stalls and farrowing crates, among others.
Tuesday, July 9
COMMUNITY leaders along the proposed VNI West transmission line have rejected the Australian Energy Market Operator’s “virtue signalling” with social licence considerations.
Regional Victorian Power Alliance chair Vicki Johnson told The Guardian that the community dismissed the considerations as lip-service despite their desire to be regarded as legitimate stakeholders in any projects undertaken on farmland.
JUST five days after a Cohuna tobacconist business was targeted in a ram raid, the store has been destroyed by a fore Victoria police are calling suspicious.
CFA units from Cohuna and Kerang responded to the scene in King George Street about 2:53 am on Sunday to find a utility vehicle had crashed into the front of the store.
Tuesday, July 12
ABORIGINAL and Torres Strait Islander cultures, history and survival are celebrated in NAIDOC Week community events Australia wide.
The year’s theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud, recognises that no matter the roadblocks, First Nations peoples will keep on striving for recognition, respect and equity.
A ROBINVALE eatery has been left perplexed after Swan Hill Council decided to move two outdoor seating pods elsewhere in the township.
The pods were installed during the COVID-19 Pandemic to promote outdoor dining, and Robinvale Corner Store had embraced the opportunity, placing its own benches, chairs and bins nearby to develop the George Street median strip park area.
Tuesday, July 16
HAVING served more that 30 years with Swan Hill police, Leading Senior Constable Andrew Downes leaves a strong legacy after retiring from Victoria Police.
Sen-Constable Downes is one of Swan Hill’s most recognisable officers thanks to his work as the station’s youth resource officer.
THE tendering of controversial water buybacks, aimed at recovering 70 gigalitres of water from the southern Murray-Darling Basin opened.
Voluntary water purchases, or buybacks, are part of a three-pronged approach by the federal government to deliver 450 gigalitres of additional water to the environment by December 2027.
Tuesday, July 19
THE Goschen Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project has the potential to drive economic growth for the Swan Hill region or destroy precious farmland and have lasting environmental effects, according to advocates and opponents.
Rare earths or mineral sands have become big business since activity in the renewable-energy sector increased.
Two minerals are essential materials for the manufacture of electric vehicles and wind turbines.
AN armed man who terrified two victims inside their Swan Hill home have avoided jail.
Swan Hill man Leslie Polglase pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary in the County Court in Bendigo of June 20.
The court heard Polglase, now aged 24, and two co-offenders, forced entry into a home about midnight on February 8, 2023, intending to assault two victims.
Tuesday, July 23
RECOVERY from the global tech outage at the weekend could make small businesses vulnerable to scamming attempts.
Cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike issued a defective content update to more than 8.5 million hosts of Windows version 7.11 and above on Friday at about 2pm, corrupting computer systems work wide.
NEW SOUTH WALES police have seized more than 45 kilograms of cannabis with an estimated value of more than $700,000 in over two separate vehicle stops in Yanga.
The seizure came as police were conducting Operation Furious on the Sturt Highway between July 8 and 12.
It was carried out by Barrier police and highway patrol.
Tuesday, July 26
STAFF at Swan Hill Basketball Stadium were briefly evacuated in the morning due to a gas leak.
CFA volunteers and Swan Hill police responded to reports of a gas smell about 10am.
Fire trucks blocked the intersection of Albert and Gray streets for a short period.
Swan Hill CFA first lieutenant Harold Jochs said the source of the leak was quickly discovered.
RESIDENTS across Swan Hill and district are being asked to share their stories for a survey exploring the community experience of flooding events in 2022.
Natural Hazards Research Australia is conducting the survey, which is focusing on the flooding that Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
Tuesday, July 30
SWAN Hill’s St Mary Mackillop College is getting $6 million in funding to help build the new $50 million secondary campus it needs.
The project was confirmed by Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll.
Mr Carroll said the funding was part of a spending towards 67 projects at 65 Catholic schools across the state.
SWAN Hill police are urging local residents to remove valuables from their cars and ensure they are locked as a spate of thefts from vehicles hits the town.
Three cars were broken into by thieves in Swan Hill earlier in the month and valuable items were taken from the vehicles.
